Category Archives: Birds

Finally, a Fledgling

Birds, Mourning Doves, Reflections, , , ,

Hello and welcome!

You may remember this mourning dove who had a well-hidden nest in the maple tree just off our deck.

For weeks I’ve been watching this bird sit on the nest. It has probably been both parents that I have seen up there since they share in the job. (I have just not witnessed them changing places.) I was beginning to wonder if there were really eggs and if they would ever hatch. I never heard babies (cheep, cheep, cheep) in the nest nor did I see parents bring food to their young.

When I did my homework, I learned that mourning doves feed their babies crop milk, a liquid high in antioxidants, fat and protein which is produced in their throat. Both parents produce crop milk and share the feeding responsibilities. This explains why there was no scurry of activity with the parents’ bringing food to their young.

Two days ago I looked up toward the nest and instead of seeing an adult bird I could barely make out the small head of a baby. Once I saw it move, I was sure that’s what I was seeing.

Yesterday, I couldn’t see baby and there were no parents around, so I was relieved this morning when my husband came in and told me that the baby mourning dove was on our deck. By the time I grabbed my camera and got out there it was gone. 😦

Later this afternoon I was thrilled to see it perched on a chair in our courtyard. Normally mourning doves lay two eggs so I am not certain if one of the eggs did not hatch, or if for some reason there was only one egg.

Mourning doves can raise as many as six broods per year and in Michigan their breeding season goes into September. Since this nest still seems to be in good shape (at least what I can see of it) they may continue to use this nest to raise another brood or two.

Thanks for visiting.

Baby Killdeer 3.0

Birds, Killdeer, Reflections, The Farm

I’d been checking the garden killdeer nest daily, knowing that the eggs should be hatching soon. On Wednesday morning we still had four eggs and a parent nearby warning me not to get close. On Thursday morning around 8:30, when we arrived at the farm there was a lot of killdeer noise.

As I waked toward the nest I saw two killdeers fly off. I also saw two parents in the area screeching and doing their broken wing act, trying to lure me away from their new family. While it may look like only three babies in the above photo #4 is there behind the others.

It was about an hour and a half later when my husband called me back to the garden area and told me to bring my camera. Four baby killdeers were running around. (I only managed to get three in the above photo.) Our first thought was that these were the babies that hatched last week but when we checked the garden nest it was empty.

(Here are two I could get by zooming in.) We were amazed at how quickly these babies were up and about. Nature truly is astounding!

Thanks for visiting!

The Killdeer Chicks are Hatching

Birds, Killdeer, Nature, Reflections, The Farm

As of 5:30 PM today, June 28, two of the four killdeer eggs, from the nest that is in our driveway, had hatched.

This one somehow managed to get out of the nest. I thought it was injured or dead,

but my husband picked it up and put it back in the nest.

Like chickens, ducks and geese, killdeer chicks hatch covered in a fluffy down and will be up walking/running around within hours after hatching.

The unhappy parents were both nearby screeching and doing the broken wing act as my husband and I checked out their new family members.

We are very happy to see these little ones arrive so we can reclaim that section of our driveway.

It should be about another week when the next brood hatches. Stay tuned. 🙂

Thanks for visiting.

A Spring Walk at the Farm

Birds, Cherries, Cherry Tree, garden, garlic scapes,, Killdeer, Nature, potatoes, Prayer Garrden, Primrose, Reflections, Roses, Strawberries, The Farm, Wild Flowers, Windmill, , , ,

Hello and welcome! It’s a beautiful morning and I thought you might like to join me for a walk at the farm.

We are seeing new blossoms every day.

The white phlox that we added to the prayer garden last year are flowering.

The primrose are beginning to bloom.

and the roses are blooming.

Our peony has only a single flower this year, but it sure is a beautiful one.

We will be picking strawberries later.

But we won’t be cutting garlic scapes for about a week. The scape is the light colored, curved shoot in the middle. They are just beginning to form.

The wild roses are in full bloom. They are very fragrant – in fact you might have smelled their lovely scent before you saw the blossoms.

Daisies scattered here and there.

A flowering shrub that I have not identified. It does have a light pleasant fragrance.

A short stroll through the woods is shady and lush.

Beyond the woods the sun shines on the neighbor’s yard.

Mixed among the grasses you might notice wild plants such as selfheal (the purple flowers) and black medic (the yellow flowers). Both are edible and medicinal.

Fleabane is a common daisy-like wildflower in our area.

Our gardens are doing well so far. Some of the tomatoes have blossoms already.

Potatoes are also doing well.

Cabbage is coming along nicely. There are also green beans, eggplant and a few other things in this patch.

Our apple trees are loaded with apples this year. It’s looking like a we may have a bumper crop this fall.

Ripe cherries on one of our new trees. I harvest three wonderful, sweet cherries from this tree. Hoping for a bigger harvest next year.

The killdeer quadruplets are still running around. They are nearly as big as the parents so I expect they will be flying off soon.

But in about a week this killdeer and its mate, who decided to nest in the middle of our driveway (forcing us to detour around the area) should have four more babies running around.

And about a week after that these four killdeer eggs, that are being incubated in an unused area of the garden, should be hatching.

In the back field we see clover,

and these yellow flowers birdsfoot trefoil.

Butter cups under the spruce tree.

And look at those pinecones.

We have a large patch of milkweed in the back field. I have seen a couple of monarch butterflies in the area, so they likely have laid eggs as their caterpillars feed on milkweed leaves once they hatch.

Milkweed.

I believe this yellow flower is called common cat’s ear. It is scattered throughout the field.

More wild roses in the wood line. Enjoy their lovely fragrance.

When we arrive back by the prayer garden my husband points out the nest that some birds (sparrows I think) have built in the top of the windmill. That was not there two days ago. Fortunately, it does not interfere with the operations of the windmill.

Thanks for joining me for a spring walk at the farm. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

As a special treat for spending this time with me I am sharing this rare glimpse of the mourning dove who is nesting in the maple tree above our deck. It has been there about two weeks now and I have tried taking pictures many times but mostly I can’t see it through the leaves. I finally got a good photo. I have not seen its mate around, but I read that mourning doves take turns sitting on the nest with males usually there during the daytime and females on the nest at night.

A Good Week

Birds, crochet, Fencing, Flowers, Horses, Nature, Pansies, Planting, Pond, Reflections, Ruby, The Farm

Hello and Welcome!

Spring Has Sprung

This week turned out to be much like I expected. Robins and red winged blackbirds have returned to the area and the daffodils are poking up through the ground. The garlic had actually sprouted last fall but it has now resumed growing after its winter break. I have yet to hear the frogs sing.

Last year I made this bird house out of corks. We hung it in a tree at the farm. It was late spring, and I suspect the birds already had their nests built so this house went unoccupied. I am hoping someone will make it home this year.

Crafting

I finished the afghan I was crocheting (picture above) this week and started another. The one I am making now will be bigger than this one. It is the paw print pattern that I like to crochet. I intend to donate it to the Humane Society so they can raffle it off at one of their fundraisers.

When the Grass is Greener

Last spring our neighbor decided to expand the area where he lets his horses graze. Our fence is their barrier where our property meets his.

Colby Jack has discovered that this time of year the grass on our side of the fence is greener and tastier than what is in his pasture.

The problem is that he is not quite tall enough to reach the grass without bending the top of our fence.

Here’s a closer look. Can you see how the top part of the fence is bent over? Last year the owner strung an electric wire to keep Colby Jack away from our fence, but it didn’t stay in place very long. We haven’t complained because we feel bad for the horses that they are not provided better quality feed. At least the fence still keeps Ranger in.

A Dip in the Pond

It is way too early for me to go in the pond. There was still ice on it yesterday,

but that didn’t bother Ruby who had to go looking for minnows or tadpoles.

Playing in the Dirt

In the last several years it has become sort of a tradition for us to pot up some pansies in early spring and set them in the flower bed along our deck. They are bright and cheery and add some much-needed color while we wait for everything else to come back to life. On Thursday my husband made my day by going the greenhouse and coming home with two flats of pansies.

So, I got to play in the dirt. 🙂

There were 36 pansies in the two flats, and I divided them into 12 pots. Oh, so pretty. We may still have a few nights when temperatures drop well below freezing, but the nice thing about have these in pots is that we can bring them indoors to protect them from the cold.

While I was “playing in the dirt” I planted some spinach and pea seeds that we will grow in containers on our deck. I don’t think it’s too early since these are cold season crops.

My husband spent a little time with his hands in the dirt as well. Since we grow most of our plants from seed, he started eggplant and several types of peppers that we will grow indoors under grow lights until late May when we can get them into the garden. He will be starting tomatoes next. Planting season has begun!

Overall, it was a good and productive week and now that spring has sprung it only gets better from here. 🙂

Thanks for visiting.